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West end housing boom

City council will be asked Monday to approve the rezoning of what could become a huge new housing development in the city's southwest corner.

Some area residents, though, remain apprehensive about the plan, largely because of fears about changes to traffic and aesthetics.

The Potters Creek development's draft plan has been approved for years. The city's planning advisory committee voted to recommend council approve the rezoning of the property from its current urban holding designation to residential zones.

A long-range plan calls for the building of 790 homes west of Avondale Road near Aldersgate Drive.

Its first phase proposes the building of 119 units, split between 62 single-family dwellings and 67 townhouses.

Consultant Ruth Ferguson Aulthouse, acting on Bax's behalf, said there will be one-and two-storey homes and those with a loft design.

Paul Martel is chairman of the Aldersgate Garden Homes Owners' Association. The complex has 24 townhouses that are part of the Aldersgate Village apartment complex but under a separate board of directors.

Martel said the large number of seniors living -- and walking -- in the area adds to the traffic issue.

"It's a real bottleneck," he said. "If there's an emergency in there we're not going to be able to get out, nor will the (other) residents."

Bax said phase two of the development will include a new section of Avonlough Road running from Dundas Street West north to the development area.

"I would expect the road connection to occur within 2-4 years," Rod Bovay, Belleville's deputy director of development and engineering services, said Thursday.

"I can't put a timeline on it," said Bax, explaining it depends upon the project's progress. Ferguson Aulthouse said there would be "long-term arrangements made" with the complex for an alternate route.

Bax said the city has thus far approved of the plan but he declined further comment on the traffic issue.

Martel said the timing of the new street's creation remains an issue.

"It could be 10 years from now," he said.

Other resident concerns included infrastructure needs, spacing between the new homes and a lack of amenities such as grocery stores in the area.

Another resident, Jack Ruttan, asked about wetland protection, noting deer, muskrat, rabbits and ducks gather at ponds there -- ponds he is afraid will be filled or altered.

"We've nurtured it and now you're going to destroy it?" Ruttan said. "We get a lot of enjoyment out of it."

"It's an important concern," Lafferty said, but added the developer has one of the area's best environmental records.

Bovay said the Aldersgate pond would remain. He and Bax said a new storm water management pond would also be created elsewhere.

Lafferty added fire officials had no problem with the spacing of homes. He said the distance is "not uncommon" in modern subdivisions.

Thurlow councillor Jackie Denyes said the filling of a pond at the Deerfield subdivision site north of Highway 401 resulted in lost wildlife.

"I hope the developer (of Potters Creek) ... is listening to this because we've heard it before," Denyes said.

"We're hearing really valid concerns tonight at the podium," Denyes said, listing the need for infrastructure and shopping in the area as well as the pond issue.

"People moving into this area are going to expect these things right away and they're not even in our capital budget," said Denyes.

Noting the project's history of revisions, she warned against continual changes.

Bax said Thursday he'll continue to meet with residents but he was unaware Martel's group existed. The townhouses are part of the apartment complex but have a separate organization.

Martel said residents will meet with the developer in late August or early September.

Bax and Ferguson Aulthouse said the company would seed a topsoil pile and install a screen to stop to wind-borne dirt from reaching neighbouring lots.

The treeline between the development and existing homes won't be cleared, Ferguson Aulthouse said.

She said it's too early to predict exactly when the full 790-home project will finish.

"It's going to take some time for the market to absorb that number of units -- at least five to seven years."

In a motion made by Mayor Neil Ellis and seconded by Frank Hendry, the planning committee agreed to recommend council approve rezoning.

Approval would mean minimum interior side yards of 1.2 metres for the R2 and R4 properties, minimum front yard depths of six metres for R2 lots and maximum 40 per cent lot coverage eligibility for certain R4 lots.